Old Testament

GENESIS and the promises of God

God made man in his image, in his likeness, and gave him dominion over the earth and all its creatures (1:26-28).

God blessed the descendants of Abraham, and all peoples on earth have been blessed through them (12:2-3; 18:18).

When we believe the Lord, he credits it to us as righteousness (15:6).

God established his covenant with Abraham and greatly increased his numbers, so that he became a father of many nations (17:2, 5).

Nothing is too hard for the Lord (18:14).

God chose Abraham, “so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him” (18:19).

The Judge of all the earth will always do right (18:25).

God promised to bless Abraham and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Through his offspring, all nations on earth would be blessed, because he obeyed God (22:17-18).

EXODUS and the promises of God

The Lord is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (3:6).

The Lord took the Israelites as his own people, became their God, and brought them out from under the yoke of the Egyptians (6:7).

The Lord raised up Pharaoh to show him his power and to cause his name to be proclaimed in all the earth (9:16).

The Lord is faithful to his covenant promises and delivers his people through his powerful right hand (14-15).

“Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” (15:11).

God brought his people in and planted them on the mountain of his inheritance (15:17).

The Lord is our Banner (17:15).

God promised that if his people would obey him fully and keep his covenant, than out of all nations they would be his treasured possession. Although the whole earth is his, they would be for him a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (19:5-6).

“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (33:14).

The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, is slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin (34:6-7).

LEVITICUS and the promises of God

Among those who approach God he will show himself holy, and in the sight of all the people God will be honored (10:3).

“I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (11:44).

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (17:11).

“Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord” (18:5).

“Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy” (20:7-8).

“You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to by my own” (20:26).

“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high” (26:12-13).

NUMBERS and the promises of God

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (6:24-26).

“The Lord answered Moses, ‘Is the Lord’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you’” (11:23).

The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion (14:17).

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God” (15:41).

“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (23:19).

DEUTERONOMY and the promises of God

“The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as many as the stars in the sky. May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!” (1:10-11).

“The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place” (1:30-31).

“The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything” (2:7).

“Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you” (3:22).

“O Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?” (3:24).

“What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (4:7).

“If . . . you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul” (4:29).

“For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath” (4:31).

The Lord is God; besides him there is no other (4:35, 39).

The Lord is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands (7:9).

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him” (18:17-18).

“The Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory” (20:4).

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (29:29).

jOSHUA and the promises of God

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (1:8).

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (1:9).

The Lord our God is God in heaven above and on the earth below (2:11).

“So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (21:43-45).

“You know with all your heart and soul that not one of the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” (23:14).

JUDGES and the promises of God

Sin is not only destructive, but its cycles are monotonous; by contrast, God’s righteousness and saving acts are always life-giving and creative (3-16).

When spiritual, moral, and sexual impurity abound, the only hope for a people is repentance and return to the ways of the Lord (3-16).

False gods cannot deliver in save us when we are in trouble; it is only the Lord who can rescue us from the hands of our enemies on every side (8:34; 10:14).

God’s name and ways are beyond understanding (13:18).

RUTH and the promises of God

Personal commitment to following the Lord always leads to redemption and life (1:16-17).

“May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (2:12).

“Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer” (4:14).

FIRST SAMUEL and the promises of God

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God” (2:2).

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor” (2:6-8).

The Lord will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness (2:9).

“Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained” (2:30).

If we return to the Lord with all our hearts and rid ourselves of idolatry and commit ourselves to the Lord and serve him only, he will deliver us out of bondage (7:3).

It is God alone who saves us out of all our calamities and distresses (10:19).

“Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own” (12:21-22).

“Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few” (14:6).

“He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind” (15:29).

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (16:7).

“It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (17:47).

“The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness” (26:23).

SECOND SAMUEL and the promises of God

“The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son” (7:11-14).

“Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (7:16).

“How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears” (7:22).

“You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O Lord, have become their God” (7:24).

“O Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have given this good promise to your servant” (7:28).

“Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight” (10:12).

God devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him (14:14).

“I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies” (22:4).

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect” (22:31-33).

FIRST KINGS and the promises of God

“So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go” (2:2-3).

“O Lord, God if Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way” (8:23).

“Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave or forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers” (8:56-58).

SECOND KINGS and the promises of God

There is no God in all the world except in Israel (5:15).

Those who are with us are more than those who are with them (6:16).

“For the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever” (8:19).

“But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence” (13:23).

“Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies” (17:39).

“Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass” (19:25).

“Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above” (19:30).

FIRST CHRONICLES and the promises of God

“Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request” (4:10).

“Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced” (16:10-12).

“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place” (16:25-27).

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (16:34).

“I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you. When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house fore me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever” (17:10-14).

“There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, O Lord, have become their God” (17:20, 22).

“But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever” (22:9-10).

The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever” (28:9).

“Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (29:14).

SECOND CHRONICLES and the promises of God

“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today” (6:14-15).

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there” (7:14-16).

“Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, ‘Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you’” (14:11).

“The Lord is with you when your are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (15:2).

“In their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them” (15:4).

“As for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (15:7).

“The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (16:9).

“Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery” (19:7).

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (20:15).

“Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful” (20:20).

“The Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him” (30:9).

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles” (32:7-8).

EZRA and the promises of God

“Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (7:10).

“The good hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him” (8:22).

“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem” (9:8-9).

NEHEMIAH and the promises of God

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel” (1:5-6).

“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name” (1:8-9).

“The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding” (2:20).

“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (4:14).

“This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (8:10).

“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you” (9:5-6).

“You have kept your promise because you are righteous” (9:8).

ESTHER and the promises of God

“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (4:13-14).

“For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor” (8:16).

JOB and the promises of God

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (1:21).

“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (2:10).

“Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty” (5:17).

“What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, that you examine him every morning and test him every moment?” (7:17-18).

“How can a mortal be righteous before God? Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand. His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?” (9:2-4).

“You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit” (10:12).

“To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man he imprisons cannot be released” (12:13-14).

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (13:15).

“If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come” (14:14).

“Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high” (16:19).

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (19:25-27).

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (23:10).

“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding” (28:28).

“The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. Therefore, men revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?” (37:23-24).

“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted” (42:2).

PSALMS and the promises of God

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” (1:1-3).

“Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (2:12).

“Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him” (4:3).

“For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” (5:12).

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (9:9-10).

“The Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face” (11:7).

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him” (18:30).

“Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him” (25:12).

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (32:8).

“Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him” (32:10).

“The Lord redeems his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned” (34:22).

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (37:4).

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (55:22).

“The Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you” (84:11-12).

“As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (103:11-12).

“The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (121:8).

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy” (145:17-20).

PROVERBS and the promises of God

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (1:7).

“The Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones” (2:6-8).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (3:5-6).

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (3:11-12).

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death” (8:17, 35-36).

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (9:10).

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death” (14:27).

“The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor” (15:33).

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (16:3).

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (18:10).

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (19:21).

“The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble” (19:23).

“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord” (21:30).

“Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life” (22:4).

ECCLESIASTES and the promises of God

“A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness” (2:24-26).

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (3:11).

“I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it, so men will revere him” (3:14).

“Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God” (5:18-19).

“Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God” (8:12).

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (12:13-14).

SONG OF SONGS and the promises of God

“He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love” (2:4).

“My lover is mine and I am his” (2:16).

“I am my lover’s and my lover is mine” (6:3).

“I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me” (7:10).

“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal over your arm; for love is as strong as death . . . . Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned” (8:6-7).

ISAIAH and the promises of God

“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’” (1:18).

“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (2:4).

“In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel” (4:2).

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (7:14).

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (9:6-7).

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (11:1-3).

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (11:6-9).

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation” (12:2).

“For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” (14:27).

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (26:3).

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (30:15).

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (30:18).

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (40:31).

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (41:10).

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go” (48:17).

“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (53:4-6).

“I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite” (57:15).

“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind” (65:17).

JEREMIAH and the promises of God

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (1:5).

“At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts” (3:17).

“If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever” (7:5-7).

“Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you” (7:23).

“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these I delight” (9:23-24).

“I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for men to direct his steps” (10:23).

“After I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to his own inheritance and his own country” (12:15).

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him” (17:5, 7).

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” (17:10).

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness” (23:5-6).

“‘Am I only a God nearby,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord” (23:23-24).

“My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart” (24:6-7).

“‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’” (29:11-13).

“‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more’” (31:33-34).

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (33:3).

LAMENTATIONS and the promises of God

“The Lord has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago” (2:17).

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (3:21-23).

“I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (3:24-26).

“Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men” (3:32-33).

“Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?” (3:37-38).

EZEKIEL and the promises of God

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God” (11:19-20).

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? Declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (18:32).

“I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will show myself holy among you in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your fathers. You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, O house of Israel” (20:41-42, 44).

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?” (33:11).

“I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice” (34:11-16).

“I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them” (34:23-24).

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you ; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God” (36:26-28).

“Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land” (37:13-14).

“I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord” (39:29).

DANIEL and the promises of God

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him” (2:20-22).

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (2:44).

“The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men” (4:17).

“Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” (4:34-35).

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (4:37).

“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth” (6:26-27).

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (7:14).

“The saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever” (7:18).

“Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him” (7:27).

The Lord is “the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands” (9:4).

“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (12:2-3).

HOSEA and the promises of God

“I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the Lord their God” (1:7).

“The Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited, and they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land” (1:10-11).

“I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord” (2:19-20).

“I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God’” (2:23).

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (6:6).

“I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them” (11:4).

“I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you” (11:9).

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?” (13:14).

“Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them” (14:9).

JOEL and the promises of God

“The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? ‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (2:11-13).

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed” (2:25-27).

“I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (2:28-32).

“The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias” (3:16-18).

AMOS and the promises of God

“Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared—who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken—who can but prophesy?” (3:7-8).

“He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth—the Lord God Almighty is his name” (4:13).

“He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land—the Lord is his name” (5:8).

“I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (5:21-24).

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,’ says the Lord your God” (9:13-15).

OBADIAH and the promises of God

“The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head” (15).

“But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance. The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it” (17-18).

“Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s” (21).

JONAH and the promises of God

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry” (2:2).

“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord” (2:7-9).

“I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (4:2).

MICAH and the promises of God

“Do not my words do good to him who is upright?” (2:7).

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (4:1-2).

“He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (4:3).

“Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever” (4:4-5).

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (5:2).

“He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace” (5:4-5).

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8).

“But as for me, I keep watch for the Lord, I wait in hope for God my Savior; my God will hear me” (7:7).

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (7:18-19).

NAHUM and the promises of God

“The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; he will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet” (1:2-3).

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him” (1:7).

“Whatever they plot against the Lord he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time” (1:9).

“Although they are unscathed and numerous, they will be cut down and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away” (1:12-13).

HABAKKUK and the promises of God

“See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous will live by his faith” (2:4).

“The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (2:14).

“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (2:20).

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy” (3:2).

“I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights” (3:18-19).

ZEPHANIAH and the promises of God

“The great day of the Lord is near—near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness” (1:14-15).

“The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger” (3:8)

“I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of Lord” (3:12).

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (3:17).

HAGGAI and the promises of God

“This is what I covenanted with you when you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear” (2:5).

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty” (2:6-9).

ZECHARIAH and the promises of God

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty” (1:3).

“This is what the Lord says, ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the Lord Almighty” (1:16).

“‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within’” (2:4-5).

“Whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye” (2:8).

“‘Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling’” (2:10-13).

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (4:6).

“This is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called The City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called The Holy Mountain’” (8:3).

“I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God” (8:7).

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. . . . He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (9:9-10).

“I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son” (12:10).

“On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west. . . . Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him” (14:4-5).

“The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name” (14:9).

MALACHI and the promises of God

“‘My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,’ says the Lord Almighty” (1:11).

“‘See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver” (3:1-3).

“I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed” (3:6).

“‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty” (3:7).

“For you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall” (4:2).

New Testament

MATTHEW and the promises of God

God is always faithful to his covenant promises, and his fulfillment of the messianic prophecies far exceeds what anyone could have imagined. The people were hoping for freedom from physical and political bondage, but Jesus offered something far greater—freedom from the bondage of sin and of death.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (11:28-30).

Because Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (16:16), he is bigger than our problems and worthy of our supreme trust and obedience.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, and he has empowered each believer to manifest and share the good news of new life in him (28:18-20).

MARK and the promises of GOD

God has identified with us in our humanity through the humility and servanthood of the incarnation. Christ experienced the conditions of human limitations including his encounters with the temptations we face (1:12; 14:32-41).

Jesus offers the glorious gift of the forgiveness of sins (2:1-12) so that we can be cleansed and lifted up into a relationship with him.

When we lose our lives for Christ’s sake, we find our lives for the first time (8:34-37).

By God’s grace, we have the inestimable privilege of knowing true greatness by following our Lord in the path of servanthood to others (10:42-45).

LUKE and the promises of GOD

The Lord God will give his Son the throne of David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end (1:32-33).

Just as Jesus showed compassion by laying his hands on lepers and delivering people from their afflictions, so he is personally concerned for each of us and ready to meet our needs (4-5; 12:22-34).

When we hear Christ’s words and act on them, we are building on a foundation that well never be shaken (7:47-49).

As children of God, we can rejoice that our names are written in heaven (10:20).

We serve a seeking God who values each person and rejoices when we return to him (15).

When we persevere in prayer, God will answer our petitions (18:1-8).

JOHN and the promises of GOD

Whoever receives Christ becomes a child of God, is given eternal life, is no longer under condemnation, and has crossed over from death to life (1:12; 3:16; 5:24).

Jesus came as the good shepherd to offer his sheep rich pasture and fullness of life (10:9-10).

He who believes in Jesus Christ will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in him will never die (11:25-26).

When we abide in Christ, we are given the power to bear lasting spiritual fruit that will glorify the Father (15:1-8).

When we come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, we are given the gift of life in his name (20:30-31).

ACTS and the promises of GOD

God has given us the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to enable us to be witnesses of the good news of forgiveness and life in Christ (1:8; 10:40-43).

It is through the resurrected Son of God that we are recipients of God’s abundant grace and power (4:12, 33).

God has fulfilled his promise to his people by raising up Jesus and by granting through him the forgiveness of sins. “Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses” (13:32-39; 16:30).

God is not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being (17:27-28).

ROMANS and the promises of GOD

The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ; the gift of righteousness comes through faith in him and not through human effort (1:16-17).

As believers in Christ, we are justified (declared righteous) by his grace through the redemption that was made possible through his blood (3:23-25).

Since we have been united with Christ in his death, we will also be united with him in his resurrection; thus we can count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (6:5-11).

Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (8:18).

In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose, which is to be conformed to the likeness of his Son (8:28-29).

God’s will for us is always good, pleasing, and perfect (12:2).

FIRST CORINTHIANS and the promises of GOD

We have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and have been called to be holy (1:2).

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1:18).

The things that God has prepared for those who love him are beyond human comprehension and imagination (2:9).

As God’s children, all things—whether the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are ours, and we are of Christ, and Christ is of God (3:22-23).

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in us, whom we have received from God, and we are not our own; we were bought at a price (6:19-20).

As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive; because we will be resurrected, we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (15:22, 58).

SECOND CORINTHIANS and the promises of GOD

God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from him (1:3-4).

God always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him (2:14).

We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (3:18).

We have the treasure of Christ in us, and this all-surpassing indwelling power is from God and not from us (4:7).

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (5:17).

God made Christ who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (5:21).

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously; we should not give under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to us, so that in all things at all times, having all that we need, we will abound in every good work (9:6-8).

GALATIANS and the promises of GOD

Christ Jesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age (1:3-4).

As believers in Christ, we have been crucified with him, and it is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us. The life we live in the body, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us (2:20).

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (3:13).

We who have been baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. If we belong to Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (3:27-29).

When we live by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Since we live by the Spirit, we are called to keep in step with the Spirit (5:16, 25).

EPHESIANS and the promises of GOD

We have been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (1:3).

God has chosen us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (1:4).

It is by grace we have been saved through God’s gift of faith (2:8).

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (2:10).

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (3:20).

Our new identity in Christ was created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (4:24).

We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord (5:8).

PHILIPPIANS and the promises of GOD

He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (1:6).

The fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God (1:9-11).

For those who know him, to live is Christ and to die is gain (1:21).

At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (2:10-11).

God works in us to will and to act according to his good purpose (2:13).

When we offer everything to God in prayer and petition with thanksgiving, and present our requests to him, our anxieties are replaced by the peace of God which transcends all understanding (4:6-7).

God will meet all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (4:19).

COLOSSIANS and the promises of GOD

The Father has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light (1:12)

God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (1:13).

We have been reconciled to God through Christ’s death so that we can be presented as holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (1:22).

The riches of God’s mystery are Christ in us, the hope of glory (1:27).

In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and we have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority (2:10).

When we were dead in our sins, God made us alive with Christ and forgave us all our sins (2:13).

We have been raised with Christ; we died, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then we also will appear with him in glory (3:1-4).

As God’s chosen people, we are holy and dearly loved (3:12).

FIRST THESSALONIANS and the promises of GOD

As brothers in Christ, we are loved by God who has chosen us (1:4).

We are waiting for God’s Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath (1:10).

Our hope, our joy, and the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes are the people whom we have loved and served in his name (2:19-20).

Our God and Father has called us to be blameless and holy in his presence when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones (3:13).

The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (4:16-17).

God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him (5:9-10).

The God of peace desires to sanctify us completely, so that our whole spirit, soul, and body will be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (5:23).

SECOND THESSALONIANS and the promises of GOD

God will ultimately reward all believers who suffer for the sake of the gospel (1:5-10).

God’s purpose for us is that we glorify the name of our Lord Jesus (1:11-12).

The Father has chosen those who hope in Christ to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He has called us to this through the gospel, so that we might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2:13-14).

The Lord desires to direct our hearts into his love and Christ’s perseverance (3:5).

FIRST TIMOTHY and the promises of GOD

The goal of God’s commands is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith (1:5).

The grace of our Lord was poured out on us abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (1:14).

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, so that those who believe on him will receive eternal life (1:15-16).

The Lord is the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, who deserves honor and glory for ever and ever (1:17).

God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (2:4).

There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men (2:5).

Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come (4:8).

Godliness with contentment is great gain (6:6).

We are not to put our hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put our hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (6:17).

SECOND TIMOTHY and the promises of GOD

God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (1:7).

God has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace (1:9).

The grace of God has been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (1:10).

God is able to guard what we have entrusted to him for the day when we see him (1:12).

If we died with Christ, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself (2:11-13).

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (3:16-17).

The Lord will award the crown of righteousness to all who have longed for his appearing (4:8).

The Lord will rescue us from every evil attack and will bring us safely to his heavenly kingdom (4:18).

TITUS and the promises of GOD

A faith and knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness rests on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time (1:1-2).

The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men (2:11).

We wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good (2:13-14).

When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life (3:4-7).

PHILEMON and the promises of GOD

We have received grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (3).

God wants us to grow into a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ (6).

Just as we have received God’s love, grace, and forgiveness, he now empowers us to offer the same to others (17-21).

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with our spirits (25).

HEBREWS and the promises of GOD

Jesus was made a little lower than the angels and is now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone (2:9).

Because Christ himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted (2:18).

The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (4:12).

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin (4:15).

We can approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (4:16).

Our hope in Christ is an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (6:19).

Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them (7:25).

Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance (9:15).

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (11:1, 6).

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (13:8).

JAMES and the promises of GOD

The testing of our faith develops perseverance, and perseverance leads to maturity and completion (1:3-4).

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (1:17).

The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does (1:25).

Mercy triumphs over judgment (2:13).

The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (3:17).

When we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us (4:7).

When we come near to God, he will come near to us (4:8).

Whoever turns a sinner away from his error will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins (5:20).

FIRST PETER and the promises of GOD

We have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood (1:2).

In God’s great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade (1:3-4).

It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that we were redeemed from the empty way of life we previously knew, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (1:18-19).

We have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God (1:23).

We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that we may declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light (2:9).

Christ bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed (2:24).

Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God (3:18).

We can cast all our anxiety on God because he cares for us (5:7).

The God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory in Christ, after we have suffered a little while, will himself restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast (5:10).

SECOND PETER and the promises of GOD

God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness (1:3).

We have received God’s great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (1:4).

As we grow in faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love, we will make our calling and election sure and will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (1:5-11).

With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (3:8-9).

We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness (3:13).

FIRST JOHN and the promises of GOD

“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1:5).

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin” (1:7).

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1:9).

If we sin, “we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (2:1-2).

“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (2:17).

“No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (2:23).

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (3:1).

“Now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (3:2).

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (4:9-10).

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love” (4:18).

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well” (5:1).

“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (5:11-12).

“This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (5:14-15).

SECOND JOHN and the promises of GOD

The truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ “lives in us and will be with us forever” (v. 2).

As those who know Christ, we have received grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son (v. 3).

When we walk in obedience to God’s commands, we are walking in the truth and in love (v. 6).

Whoever abides in the true teaching of the incarnate Christ has both the Father and the Son (v. 9).

THIRD JOHN and the promises of GOD

Faithfulness to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is a great source of joy to other believers (vv. 3-4).

When we serve and support those who are ambassadors of the truth of Jesus Christ , we become colaborers with them and participants in their ministry (vv. 5-8).

Anyone who does what is good is from God (v. 11).

JUDE and the promises of GOD

Those who have been called are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ (v. 1).

God offers believers the abundance of his mercy, peace, and love (v. 2).

The Lord gives us the power to build ourselves up in our most holy faith and to pray in the Holy Spirit (v. 20).

As we keep ourselves in God’s love, we can wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life (v. 21).

The Lord is able to keep us from falling and to present us before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy (v. 24).

The only God our Savior will receive glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all ages, now, and forevermore (v. 25).

REVELATION and the promises of GOD

Those who read the words of this prophecy and who hear it and take to heart what is written in it will be blessed (1:3).

Jesus Christ loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father (1:5-6).

Christ is the Living One who was dead, but is alive for ever and ever, and holds the keys of death and Hades (1:18).

“I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne” (3:20-21).

Christ was slain, and with his blood he purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (5:9).

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (11:15).

“Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years” (20:6).

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (21:4).

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (21:6-7).

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (22:17).

Dr. Boa is the President of Reflections Ministries and Trinity House Publishers. Kenneth Boa is engaged in a ministry of relational evangelism and discipleship, teaching, writing, and speaking. He holds a B.S. from Case Institute of Technology, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from ... More